How to Make a Flax Egg
A step-by-step tutorial of how to make a flax egg, egg substitute for baking!
Servings 1 (flax egg)
Instructions
- Add flaxseed meal and water to a dish and stir. Let rest for 5 minutes to thicken. Add to recipes in place of 1 egg (as original recipe is written).
- It’s not an exact 1:1 substitution in every recipe because it doesn’t bind and stiffen during baking quite like an egg does. But I’ve found it to work incredibly well in pancakes, quick breads, brownies, muffins, cookies, and many other recipes.
Video
Notes
*This is not my original recipe, but one I discovered on many vegan baking blogs and have since adapted for my own use.
*Nutrition information is a rough estimate.
*Nutrition information is a rough estimate.
Nutrition (1 of 1 servings)
Serving: 1 flax egg Calories: 37 Carbohydrates: 2 g Protein: 1.3 g Fat: 2.2 g Trans Fat: 0 g Cholesterol: 0 mg Fiber: 1.9 g
Below are some of my recipes which use flax eggs:
Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins // Simple Vegan Brownies // 1-Bowl GF Banana Bread // Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookie Pancakes // 1-Bowl Vegan Banana Nut Muffins // Turmeric Chickpea Fritters // 1-Bowl Chocolate Chocolate Chip Muffins // Toasted Coconut Pancakes // Simple Vegan Stuffing // Refined-Sugar-Free Turtle Brownies // Peanut Butter Cup Pancakes // Coconut Oil Blueberry Scones // Sun-Dried Tomato & Basil Meatballs
Xinlei says
I tried making a flax egg as the recipe says but it didn’t gelatinize even after 10 minutes. My flax seeds were coarsely ground, does that make a difference? Thank you
Could be. The finer ground, the better!
Karen says
This worked great in some sour dough waffles. I like using the lighter golden flax that comes pre-ground. They are much milder tasting.
Yum, sounds delicious! Thank you for sharing, Karen!
Pamela Lewis says
Awesome!!!
Al says
Perfect egg replacement!!!
Thank you
We’re so glad you enjoyed it, Al! Thanks so much for sharing! xo
Makayla says
Do you just double the ingredients for a recipe requiring 2 eggs?
Yep!
Diana says
Probably not what you intended, but we’ve been experimenting with ground turkey, and found it much too wet, and using an chicken egg to bind it, just makes it wetter. So I was making a half recipe of meatballs and recipe called for one egg. Since there is no such thing as half an egg unless you buy egg whites in a carton and I have a bag of ground flax we are also experimenting with I made half a flax egg. It worked beautifully.
Lovely! Thanks so much for sharing, Diana!
Sarah says
Hi there! :) Thank you for sharing this!!
I gave this recipe a try recently – I used it to replace egg in some homemade dog training treats I was making with silicone moulds as I wanted to include some flax into my dog’s diet.
Sadly, it did not go overly well.
Other ingredients were ground chicken, broccoli, dill and green tea (in place of plain water) and blended to a puree, then coconut oil, sifted coconut flour and the flax egg (or two) folded into the mix (with more water/tea added as needed).
I spread the mix into moulds (dome/pyramid pan) and baked at 350F well for over 30 minutes… It was all very straightforward (for my second ever baking attempt) and was all going to plan….
Within minutes of going in the oven, they puffed up nicely and were even bouncing and lifting in the mould as if trying to get out… However, I could not for the life of me get them to firm up!
After 20-30 minutes I checked them only to find they were still super, super soft and smeared/collapsed at my touch — after 30-40 minutes the ones on the edges were burning on top but the mix inside the mould was still soft.
I lowered the temp to 320F and kept them in longer, but nothing was helping. When it came time to try and get them out, there was so much mixture stuck to the moulds (normally things just fall right out) and it was quite the job to get them out (most just fell apart because they were too soft).
The ones I could get out of the moulds went back in the oven on a flat tray at 320F to try and get other edges cooked, but they all just burned on the outside – there was no in-between (either no firmness and far too soft or just burnt to a crisp) — and I watched them like a hawk! :/
When making these homemade silicon mould treats, the raw mixture is supposed to be similar to a pancake mix consistency (maybe slightly thicker)… With the flax, the mixture was very granular/grainy and I couldn’t get it to smooth out.
Whilst I am baking dog treats, I am using fresh or cooked human-grade ingredients so figure it’s just baking — nothing special — I have no idea what I did wrong.
Was it the coconut flour? Could it have been the flax eggs? I used 1 tbsp flaxseed meal to 2-3 tbsp water (cooled green tea), whisked and let set for around 5 minutes until they were quite thick, but still a little runny…
Can you offer any advice?
I’m going to try again with real eggs in a few days and see if that makes a difference – I dearly hope so as cleaning my moulds the other day was an absolute nightmare (I considered just trashing them several times, but they are new and were expensive so I managed to push through and get them 90+% cleaned off)… :)
Many thanks in advance for any thoughts you might have!! :) ♥
Hi! Sorry to hear they stuck badly and didn’t firm up. Since some of the ingredients you used have moisture, we wonder if just adding ground flax (which will soak up some moisture) might work better than a flax egg which adds moisture? Not sure if this is an option with dog treats, but perhaps greasing the pan could help? One other idea – perhaps try starting with a lower temp from the beginning so they can cook fully in the center without burning. Hope that helps!
Travis says
Please do not feed your dog green tea – it has caffeine and can be fatal. Please look it up further, and use non-caffeinated teas in the future (green tea has a lot of caffeine)
Rebecca says
I was in the middle of making corn muffins, when I realized I was out of eggs! I remembered that flax eggs was a thing, and I had ground flaxseed in the cupboard, so I looked up how make them, and found your instructions! They worked perfectly in the muffins (they rose well and were nice fluffy inside), and I don’t know if I would have been able to tell the difference from my normal muffins if I had been blindfolded. Thank you for the recipe and advice on how to use flax eggs!
Amazing! So glad the swap worked for you, Rebecca. Thanks for the great review!
:D says
Will a flax egg work in binding lentil.burger or a bean burger?
It should!
Wendy Hunter says
Thank you for your website! I trust your recipes and visit your website at least once a week. I have been experimenting with egg free cooking and I have purchased some Milled Flax Seed, is that the same as Flax Seed Meal? It doesn’t seem to absorb all the water; certainly not in 5 minutes, anyway.
Thanks, Wendy
Hi Wendy thank you for the kind words and support! According to Google, milled flaxseed and flaxseed meal are the same. Some brands of flaxseed meal have a finer grind than others which makes them better at absorbing water! Hope this helps!
josie says
this worked wonderful! I promised the kids to make muffins, and realised I used the last of the eggs this AM. then I remembered I could make flax eggs! worked great in their muffins. I eat low carb, I dont eat sugar or grains so personally idk how it tastes but its approved by my little boys.
do you think you’ll ever consider making low carb treats for those of us who follow a low carb diet? that’d be amazing! I remember when I was vegan I used hundreds or your recipes and I used to have ur cook book! always enjoyed ur style of work. much love, Josie
We’re so glad to hear it, Josie! We’ll add low carb ideas to our requests list. Thank you for the lovely review! xo
Elizabeth says
Success! My “egg” needed 15 minutes to reach desired gelatinousness (who would have thought gelatinousness would ever be desired in baking!). Following your advice to use this in cookie recipe, I made a flax egg for my flourless peanut butter oatmeal cookies. The cookies puffed and spread nicely and were crunchy outside, chewy/soft inside just like I like ’em! And bonus, without the egg, I can let the kids (and the kids-at-heart) sample the dough with abandon :-)
Yay! We’re so glad it was helpful! Thank you for sharing, Elizabeth! xo
Renata Mahata says
In something like a pecan pie, would a flax seed egg work to create the slightly gelatinous layer or should you add cornstarch to help set the pie?
Hi Renata, we’d suggest cornstarch (or tapioca starch). You can find our pecan pie recipe here (it’s a reader favorite!). Hope that helps!
Renata Mahata says
Thanks so much! I’ll try it out this weekend and let you know how it goes.
Robin Wilson says
Hey, I have diverticulitis and can’t eat seeds. Any other ideas?
Hi Robin, it depends what recipe you’re using it in. Applesauce is an egg substitute that works with some baking.
potato says
grind the seeds
JM says
I SO wanted this to work- making GF free brownies from the America’s Test Kitchen cookbook, and tried to substitute flax eggs for the eggs. Epic fail. What a shame! I was excited about this recipe.
Oh no! Sorry these flax eggs didn’t work out for you. Unfortunately flax eggs don’t always work as a 1:1 swap in traditional recipes, but we have a few brownie recipes you could check out! Our favorites are the Easy V/GF Brownies, V/GF Black Bean Brownies, and Fudgy Sweet Potato Brownies.
Peggy says
I’ve used chia pudding, readily available in most supermarkets, or make your own, in place of egg in chocolate cake for my vegan daughter and it really worked, she loved it!
Thanks for sharing, Peggy!
jordan says
Could I use another type of raw seed or nut for the “flax egg”. I am super awesome and have an egg sensitivity as we as a flax sensitivity. Bummer
Hi Jordan, another option is a chia egg. It often works in place of flax eggs, but not always. Hope that helps!
DN says
Would ground pumpkin seeds work?
Hm, we haven’t tried that but don’t think they would thicken the same way!
Soumya B Hegde says
I landed up on your blog from Google. Thanks for sharing this article. Looking forward to reading more from you.
Thanks, Soumya!
Lana says
Hi, thanks for sharing this. Was just wondering, would this still work well if I were to strain the ground flaxseeds out?
Hmm, we don’t think so. But we’ve never tried!
Jennifer says
This does work, actually. At least in some applications. Gretchen’s Vegan Bakery does that to make a substitute for aquafaba to make a Swiss Meringue Buttercream, and I think its done somewhere in Miyoko Skinners cookbook, and veganbaking. net describes it as an option giving instructions to boil the flax & water then strain out the flax. Sometimes it’s called a mucilage.
Niamh says
Hey there!
Could you use these flax eggs instead of regular eggs in a 1:1 ratio for blondies?
We think that might work! It will depend on the specifics of the recipe though. Flax eggs usually do better when the egg isn’t critical for a fluffy texture.
Charlie says
This works great as an egg substitute or when I’m cooking for people with egg allergies!
Lily says
Can I use Aquafaba instead in banana bread waffle recipe ?
We haven’t tried that, but maybe? Let us know if you give it a try!
HeelShields says
The banana bread recipe included in the flax egg video looks fabulous. Which one of your recipes reflects that bread. That is the one I want to make.
Thanks!
It’s this one. Enjoy!
Laura Seutz says
Hi! I love your recipes and have always used chia seed eggs. Lately I have had a problem with my banana bread and Morning Glory muffins not cooking completely through. I have tried increasing the baking time and even lowering the oven temperature while increasing the cooking time. They always turn out gummy. Do you think switching to flax eggs would make a difference? Thanks Dana!
Yeah I personally love using flax eggs! Give that a try!
Dhivya Rakesh says
I’m planning to replace flax seed egg in my usual brownies recipe. I don’t add any leavening agent because beating the eggs gives me that rise. So while I’m replacing my recipe with flax seed, do I need to add anything else ?
Hi Dhivya, yes, we’d suggest adding a leavening agent. We have several brownie recipes that you can check out for inspiration, such as this one. Hope that’s helpful!
Dhivya Rakesh says
Thank you so much 😊
Maryse Kruithof says
Hi Dana,
I wanted to use flax eggs in brownies, and my recipe also needs a bit of coffee. Do you think it would be possible to swap the water for the flax egg with coffee to intensify the taste?
Thanks!
I think that would be delicious!
Becca says
Thanks for this- I was making some breakfast cupcakes and didn’t realise we were out of eggs. Flax egg to the rescue! My family didn’t even notice the difference.
Yay! Thanks for sharing, Becca!
Miriam says
Can i use flaxseed egg instead of applesauce in a vegan carrot cake?
Thank you :)
That should work! That’s what we use in our carrot cake recipe.
Francoise says
I just tried with rum instead of water and it did not work at all. Test first if you want to substitute some other liquid for water. With water, it thickened up a lot. With rum, it stayed liquid.
Rachel Bokma says
I am super curious what you needed a rum egg for!!
Francoise says
I was making a cake, to which I wanted to add rum. I was out of eggs. I figured I would try using the rum to make the flax egg. It did not work. Thought I would share the results so others don’t make the same mistake. (I still put it in the cake—not gonna waste good rum).
Rachel says
Oh yum! That sounds amazing. You gotta try things to see if they’ll work or not 👍🏻😊
Emily says
Works great for items like apple oatmeal bakes or muffins!
Thanks for sharing, Emily!
Janvi Mehta says
Hi!
Can I use lightly roasted flaxmeal instead of raw, because it is what I have in my pantry! :)
That should work! Raw is always preferred when possible.
Nayan Dubey says
Hello
I would just like to know if I can use the Flax Seeds as an Egg Substitute in more difficult bakes such as Puff pastries, Choux pastries , Tarts & the more traditional French n English Desserts
Hi Nayan, we think puff pastries would be more difficult, but maybe tarts would work! Let us know if you do some experimenting!
Donna Mahlburg says
Hi, would it work to use almond or coconut milk in the flaxseed egg recipe instead of water? I’m thinking for a cake, to get that extra nutty flavour. Also because nut milk is so high in water, I figure it should still work? Thanks!
We think it would work!
Vivi says
I have tried making the flax egg with ground flaxseed I bought at an organic store and it doesnt thicken. It stays liquid. Why?
Hmm, we aren’t sure what would cause that. Is it possible it isn’t ground?
Kim Jury says
Would need to double ground to equal whole ratio to water
Chell says
You should let it sit for 20 to 30 minutes to thicken before adding it to whatever ingredients you plan to cook or bake.
Madeleine says
Is it possible that you used more water or less flaxseed meal than called for?
Annie says
Can I use chia seed instead?
Yes! See this recipe.
Ali says
if the original recipe is to add only the yolk, should i reduce the flaxseed and water, or only reduce the water?
Hmm, it’s hard to know without being familiar with the specific recipe. But probably reducing the water would be best. Hope that helps!
Nayan Dubey says
You can try another way instead of using grounded Flax seeds you can use the normal Flax seeds. Just add 1 Tbsp of Fax seeds to 100 ml of water n Heat it. It will start turning thick n gelatinous and then you can seperate it with a seive it works great!! 😊
Aisha says
I had the same problem at first, but then I realized i didn’t wait for it to thicken. You have to wait a minimum of 5 minutes for the Flax egg to form.
Lauren says
I had this problem, but I tried warm-hot water, let sit about 15 minutes, that worked beautifully!
Emily says
Hi Dana,
I often just want to make 1 of something as a treat but it’s pretty difficult to divide a real egg up! So would flax egg work if for example a recipe needed 1 chicken egg to make 4 cookies, I could just use a quarter of a table spoon of flaxseed meal? Thank you
Yes, that should work well, but will depend on the recipe and whether it does well with a flax egg!
Elizabeth says
This is so useful!
Teresa says
Can you use flax egg in home made mayo?
Unfortunately, we don’t think that would work. We recommend aquafaba, such as in this recipe.
Christina says
Easy and has substituted in many baking adventures without fail!
mimi says
Worked great on a lentil and mushroom recipe. Merci Minimalist!!
Sophie says
Hi!
help haha I have a 6 muffin tray and not 12. How long do i cook for?? Can’t wait to try them :)
THANKS!
Sophie :)
Hi Sophie, we aren’t sure which recipe you are referring to, but we would say start with the recommended time and cook in additional 3-5 minute increments, using a toothpick to test whether they are done in the center.
Amandeep Kaur says
Hi can I use flax seed for cakes as substitute for eggs?
Hi Amandeep, yes, we’ve used it for that. It will depend on the recipe though. As an example, we used it in this recipe. Hope that helps!
CarJa Person says
I made the flax egg and used it in my turkey loaf recipe. I cook by portion so I made 4 individual turkey loaves exactly alike so that I could control the nutritional information. Each loaf had 1 flax egg. They were marvelous! The texture was almost identical to the mini loaves I’ve purchased. The family loved them. I will make them again. Thanks!
We’re so glad the flax egg worked out for you! Happy Thanksgiving! xo
CarJa Person says
Thank you! Now each person has their own loaf. They can eat it all. Make sandwiches, etc. You have a “Happy Thanksgiving” also!
Cathy says
So, it has to be flaxseed meal? Or can I grind up the flaxseed I already have?
You can grind it up in a high-speed blender or spice grinder.
Alison Griffiths-Brown says
Thanks for the video on how to make flax eggs :)
I’m looking to replace 3 large eggs in a nut roast, but want to get the same amount of protein I would from the eggs, this would mean using 100g (12 tablespoons) of flax. I’m guessing this would be way too much liquid when made into flax eggs?
What would you recommend please?
Hmmm, by nut roast do you mean meatloaf? You could try this recipe?
Cheryl says
I used flax eggs in pie crust and the crust came out hard. (For a Pumpkin pie which as you said didn’t firm up). I wonder if it’s the flax it some other issue that made the crust hard. Also, getting the flax myself from flax seeds which send to need a bit more water, and it works for most uses.
Wes says
Well, I attempted using this in a fresh pumpkin pie recipe that calls for 3 eggs… I’ve made it several times with wild success, unfortunately this flax egg recipe ruined the texture, it came out too loose and watery! If anyone has suggestions for adding this to pumpkin pie, maybe in a different ratio? let us know as it is the season!
You’ve been warned.
Hi Wes, sorry to hear it didn’t work out for you! We wouldn’t recommend this in recipes where you are looking for a creamy texture. It works well in cookies, pancakes, quick breads, and muffins. Better luck next time!
Cheryl says
I used flax eggs in pie crust and the crust came out hard. (For a Pumpkin pie which as you said didn’t firm up). I wonder if it’s the flax it some other issue that made the crust hard.
Hi Cheryl, we suspect baking too long could also cause that. Hope that helps!
Winy says
Hi! I realised the Metric conversion for 1 tbsp is supposed to be 15g instead of 7g. Maybe that’s why it didn’t work well for some people.
Hi Winy, we double checked the brand we use and it shows 2 Tbsp = 13 g. Not sure what is causing the discrepancy!
Caroline says
The pumpkin pie season is almost over, but I use cornstarch in my pumpkin pie as a thickener. Cornstarch and full fat coconut milk.
Lauren says
I had this problem also… for 1 pie, use 1/2 mashed avocado in place of eggs. The flax egg works fabulous in breads, not so much for pies.
Allie says
I want to make the 1-Bowl Carrot
Apple Muffins however, I am not in the know about what a BATCH of flax eggs are. It calls for 1 1/2 batches flax eggs. Sooooo is that 1.5 flax eggs, or perhaps there are 3 flax eggs in a batch?? Can you please clarify what a BATCH is?
Sorry for the confusion. 1 batch = 1 flax egg!
Alaina says
Hi, when buying the ground flax, what texture should I get?
At Costco I saw a medium texture ground flax but was wondering if that would change the texture of what I’m making
Finely ground is best, but medium will likely work as well. Hope that helps!
Alaina says
Ah okay thank you for the quick reply! :D I’ll probably buy finely ground then
Esther Estes says
I’ve tried several different brands of ground flax but my favorite is the one sold at Costco! I bought Dana’s The Minimalist Baker Everyday Cookbook (strongly recommend) and the Costco ground flax works beautifully for all the recipies requiring flax egg in this book… my favorite being the Buckwheat Pancakes which I make every Saturday morning by popular demand from my family.
We’re so glad you enjoy the cookbook, Esther! Thank you so much for sharing! xo
Steve Z says
I’ve been using ground flax as an egg substitute for a long time, and have found the standard 1 T flax to 2 1/2 T water is too watery.
For pancakes, muffins, banana bread, etc., I just add one Tablespoon of ground flax for each egg suggested by the recipe directly to the flour. It works great.
For cookies where the egg gets mixed in with the “butter” and sugar, I use one T of flax to one T water, adding maybe another half Tablespoon of water if necessary. This also works great.
Flax substitute for egg does not work well in pumpkin pie, alas. It comes out gummy… I’ve had some success with silken tofu (see the web for ideas) and am planning on a chia seed pudding base next time.
Best wishes,
Steve
joe says
Hi all. In my experience using flax seed I found that
buying the seeds whole and grinding what I need using a coffee grinder is best. Half a T of seed gives 1 T of meal. Fresh is best.
When I mix I use the standard (sic) 1T meal + 2 and a half Twater the result is too watery no matter how long it rests. Boil them in MW for few seconds thickens instantly.